Watts Up! with Holiday Lights

By: Leigh Guth
Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent
NC Cooperative Extension Service, Lincoln County



Are you a Scrooge or a Griswold when it comes to holiday lights? If you’re like most folks, you are somewhere in between with a tree and a spotlight or two. But you may feel like a Scrooge once you see your power bill at the end of the holidays! It just contributes to that crash many experience as the holidays pass and the bills and the calories begin to show.

Think of the ways we use power over the holidays – cooking holiday meals, keeping the home lit and warm during vacation days and when company comes, holiday lights on houses, trees, miniature villages, spotlights and the popular inflatable lawn decorations. Studies from Florida show that power use goes up during the holidays about 400 watts in early evening and is still 200 watts higher than normal into the early morning hours. This suggests that many families leave holiday lights on during the middle of the night. How can we keep the holidays merry and bright and still be mindful of our energy consumption?

First, most of us are using C-7 incandescent bulbs or incandescent mini lights. To operate 500 bulbs for 5 hours daily for 30 days, it cost $18.90 if they are C-7 bulbs and $1.89 if they are mini lights. Think about switching to the Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights which will cost approximately $ .30 to operate this season! If truth be told, I’ve been using big colored lights that were very old. I knew due to their age that they were probably a safety risk, but I could never justify spending money on new ones until I read this data. I’ll use 100 times less energy this year using my new LED lights. LED lights should last for 100,000 hours, are safer since they are cool to touch, and don’t require replacement bulbs. LED bulbs are made from a sturdy epoxy, and the color is determined by the chemical inside and not a painted bulb. LED lights may appear to shimmer as you move and will not be as bright in all directions, but they are a beautiful and practical way to decorate. Prices vary by color and style. I spent about $50 on 5 strands of LED lights. If I continued to use my old lights for the next 5 years, it would cost approximately $100. With my LED lights, I will spend $51.50 for 5 years which includes purchase and operation.

Another option is the fiber optic tree. These artificial trees use one 5 to 50 watt bulb located at the base of the tree and transmit light through optic fibers in the branches. The branches are cool to the touch with the heat source vented at the base of the tree. These trees can cost upwards of $200 for large trees. The energy cost is a bit more than LED operating costs but still less than our traditional incandescent bulbs.

A timer is a must if you have outdoor lights. Timers save you the hassle of going out to turn off the lights in your pajamas, and it saves energy. Ask yourself, how much do I enjoy looking at the holiday lights at 3:00am? Is it necessary to have lights on all night?

If you are interested in learning how much electricity you are using with your favorite appliance or holiday gizmo, there are a few options. Check www.we-energies.com/xmaslights_calc.pdf or www.holidayleds.com/christmas_light_calculato to calculate your holiday lighting and lawn inflatables cost. If you’d like a more hands on approach, contact me at Cooperative Extension to use the Watts Up! meter. This tool plugs into an outlet and then your appliance is plugged into the meter. It shows you the average cost to operate the appliance. This is a great tool to use when you have older appliances and are considering replacement. Extension and Watts Up! can show you how much those appliances really cost to operate.

Feel free to contact me with any questions at 704-736-8461 or email Leigh_Guth@ncsu.edu . As always, it is my privilege to serve through the NC Cooperative Extension Service.

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Team
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